Three leading electric vehicle bodies, including Electrifying.com and founder Ginny Buckley, have called for the government to introduce battery health certificates for used EVs.
Electrifying.com, research group New Automotive and smart battery firm BatteryIQ all say that mandatory battery health checks on EVs sold through dealers would go a long way to establish confidence in the country’s growing used electric car market.
There are loads of great used electric cars filtering through to dealership forecourts at the moment – like the Volkswagen ID.3 above – but buyers would benefit from the peace of mind that comes from a proper check of the car's battery setup.
The groups have also said that buyers deserve the same level of transparency about an electric vehicle's battery as they already expect through an MOT certificate, service history or mileage record when buying a used petrol or diesel car.
The argument is not that battery health is an actual issue, but rather that buyers perceive it to be an issue, and a certificate of health would show potential buyers how robust the state of their potential purchase actually is.
A survey by Electrifying.com and the AA of over 13,000 UK drivers found battery condition remains one of the biggest concerns among those who haven’t yet switched to electric. Just 3% of drivers said they felt confident buying a used electric vehicle, while 38% said an independently verified battery health certificate would increase their confidence in one.
Ginny Buckley said: “Experts can keep telling car buyers they have nothing to worry about, but our research shows that message simply isn't landing. It's not enough to dismiss the concerns about battery life shared by the majority of those drivers who haven’t yet switched to an EV – we need to address them.
“A standardised battery health certificate would give buyers the transparency and confidence they deserve. Given how important the used market is to the UK's transition to electric cars, this feels like a genuine no-brainer.”
Check out Electrifying's used listings to see what cars are on offer now.
